


Drifting with Ghosts

by toque



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Background Relationships, M/M, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25378126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toque/pseuds/toque
Summary: Five years ago, Jango lost his father and drift partner to a Kaiju attack. After leaving the PCDC, he's reluctantly followed construction on the Wall of Life, helping support his older sister Arla and nephew Boba, but when the opportunity comes to return comes, he can't turn it down.
Relationships: Depa Billaba & Mace Windu, Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Plo Koon & CC-3636 | Wolffe
Comments: 23
Kudos: 93





	Drifting with Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> so if you haven't seen pacific rim before: 1. you're missing out. it's a glorious technicolor nightmare of giant robots fighting giant monsters, and to pilot the giant robots you've got to find your soulmate. it's a wonderful movie and i love it.  
> 2\. although this isn't set in space, it's not set on earth either. coastal cities are largely named after planets the clone wars had battles on, so don't bother trying to match geography. it's a whole mess. on that note, there's the Pan Coastal Defense Corps, not the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.  
> 3\. all aliens remain aliens. plo and other kel dor are a bit of a special case, because kel dor breathe oxygen in this au (along with any other non-oxygen breathing species) but plo still has his mask.

The glow off the wall of holographic screens was doing its best to give Mace a headache.

It wasn’t really _his_ headache, more a sympathetic echo of the one that Depa would have had if she’d been in the briefing room with him, but she wasn’t and Mace would appreciate it if his body got with the program. Although, maybe it was what he was hearing that was the problem here. Willing himself not to rub at his forehead, he stared down the Representative that had been ranting for the last five minutes.

Mace had been warned beforehand that there was growing sentiment against the Jaeger program, but he’d never imagined that it had become so prevalent.

"The Jaeger program is too expensive to keep running,” they were saying. Mace struggled to recall their name before giving up and checking the tag in the lower right corner of their screen. Rush Clovis, that was right. Representative of Scipio, one of the main financial backers of the original Jaeger program twelve years ago.

Scipio was 500 klicks inland. 

“The increase in Ranger fatalities along with the cost to build and reconfigure Jaegers is not inconsiderable. Add training new candidates who are required to have drift compatibility to even reach Ranger status, and your program is no longer an acceptable cost when there’s a perfectly viable second option!” He paused, finally too out of breath to continue his tirade.

Mace ground his teeth. He was already perfectly aware of the growing mortality rate of his Rangers, and the long training process that prevented replacements from being available as quickly as many would prefer.

“We are sorry, Marshal Windu.” Representative Bonteri at least had the decency to pretend sympathy when telling him that the PCDC would no longer be protecting anyone. “But it has already been decided. The Wall of Life will be the future of Kaiju defense programs.”

“What, we’re gonna wall them off like a tank of fucking goldfish?” And there was the other reason for his headache.

“Skywalker!” He snapped, glaring at his lead technician. There was a snort to Mace’s left that he very pointedly ignored to better glower at Skywalker.

“Sorry, Marshal.” The blond didn’t look sorry in the slightest, but shut his mouth with obvious effort. A quiet voice past Skywalker took up the line of questioning—albeit more tactfully.

“Technician Skywalker has a point, Councilmembers. What are we going to do with the Kaiju when they come through the Breach? Even if the wall keeps them away from coastal cities, it would not help the rather large communities of aquatic citizens that have already been greatly affected by the attacks.” Mace thanked any gods that happened to exist for Obi-Wan Kenobi. His Fightmaster was even quicker with his wit than a staff, and Mace often wondered why Kenobi had taken the largely thankless position over any number of other opportunities available to him as a former Ranger.

Several Councilmembers shifted uneasily, but the bullheaded Representative of Scipio seemed determined to keep antagonizing the assembly. “Relocation committees are already considering the problem. At least with the wall, there would be no more Kaiju Blue incidents. Jaegers spill more than enough blood to poison those cities.” Mace wondered how many citizens Scipio would be willing to take in from the refugees they seemed set on making as Clovis continued. “And if you were truly so concerned about them, I would think you’d be the first to agree with pulling Jaegers out. They’re only as good as their pilots, after all.”

“Enough!” Mace glared Clovis back into silence, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Skywalker take a step forward as if he’d like to leap through the screen and punch the man.

Obi-Wan caught Skywalker’s arm, preventing him from moving and Mace continued as if he hadn’t seen it. “I recognize your thoughts on the matter, Representative. But the Jaeger program is the best chance we have. If you’d allow us to prove it by giving us the funding to go after the Breach—”

Chatter between the Representatives broke out and Mace raised his voice. “If we could close the Breach we would prevent more Kaiju from ever destroying another city!”

“The Council has already made its decision,” Bonteri spoke again, cutting off whatever Clovis was about to say. 

“And there’s nothing we can say to appeal that decision?” Mace clenched his hands into fists behind his back as Bonteri shook her head.

“You’ll have limited funding for the next few years while the wall is completed,” she offered, like it was some great favor that the Council would graciously allow the PCDC to continue saving lives until they could step in as saviors. “The PCDC’s efforts are not unrecognized, and any current cadets will have the chance to graduate and be recognized. However, you are not sanctioned to build any new Jaegers. Shatterdomes will also begin closing, and this year we are planning on cutting funding to Felucia and Cato Nemoida, as they have the fewest number of Jaeger teams operating from them. Any Jaegers still in operation will be allowed to relocate, of course.”

Mace stood resolute as Bonteri outlined the path to their planet’s extinction.

He simply nodded at appropriate times, knowing that Wolffe and Obi-Wan would take careful measure of the Council’s proposal when it came to them in writing, and that this meeting had been recorded. Depa would throw a fit when she saw it, but Mace would be bitching along with her. Maybe Wolffe and Plo would join them.

“Thank you for your time, Marshal,” Bonteri finished. Several other Representatives repeated her words, paltry, flimsy niceties that they were.

When the last image flickered out, Mace heard Skywalker storm off angrily, along with Obi-Wan’s quiet sigh as he made to follow. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Obi-Wan.” His friend turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “You do know Clovis was only lashing out because none of his precious committee have actually thought about the impact on aquatic cities, right?”

Obi-Wan grinned, though Mace could see a hint of anger in his eyes. “I’m certain that certain sentiments will be forwarded along appropriate channels. It’s truly a shame that it’s so hard to get a secure connection these days, they really should have invited us to meet in person.”

Mace offered him a small smile.

Obi-Wan’s expression softened before he followed Skywalker out the door, likely planning to drag him into a spar. 

In the now darkened room, Mace clasped his hands behind his back as he replayed the disastrous meeting again in his head. 

“You’d think the esteemed Council would remember that the Kaiju have tested and broken practically every building material known on the planet,” Wolffe finally spoke into the silence.

“You would think,” Mace echoed drily. “Every day I am more and more glad that I went into the military, not politics. I don’t believe I’d have a single bit of common sense left.”

Wollfe laughed for a minute before sobering, brows drawn down in anger over mismatched eyes. “We can’t let them get away with this.”

“Get away with what? You heard Bonteri, the Council voted on this. There’s nothing to fight.” Mace let his shoulders slump forward, and he knew he sounded as tired as he looked.

“Can’t you call someone?”

Mace shook his head. “Only the Felucia and Cato Nemoidia Shatterdomes to tell them to move their personnel out here.”

“Right.” Wolffe’s face was perfectly blank, but still managed to convey his utter distaste at Mace’s plan.

Honestly, there were calls Mace could make. If the decision was a sure bet at the Council’s level, he could go beneath it. Enough Coruscanti news outlets had hounded him for years about interviews with him and Depa that he could likely find someone willing to let him use them as a platform. But…he didn’t get the sense that this had been a hasty decision. Even if he could drum up enough public support for another vote, he didn’t believe it would change the outcome.

And on a personal level…Mace didn’t want to see his program dissected and picked apart by the media, the deaths of his Rangers weighed against their supposed skill. Their worthiness questioned when so few people were drift compatible. It was a miracle any of them had signed up after seeing what happened when one tried to fight a force of nature. He was so grateful to all of them, for not treating Depa and him like a warning, but somehow, miraculously, as role models. He only wished that more of them were as lucky as they had been.

Was it selfish of him to avoid that when he might save the program? Wolffe waited patiently as Mace thought. If he was going to continue this fight, he’d do it his way. No politicians needed.

“Wolffe.” Something in his voice must have tipped the other man off, because he visibly perked up.

“Sir?”

“Representative Bonteri said we’d have funding for the next few years. She also said that we weren’t authorized to build any new Jaegers.” Mace spoke slowly, warming up to the idea as it formed. “How do you suppose Skywalker would like getting his hands on some older tech?”

Wolffe cackled. Mace almost felt bad for the Kaiju.

* * *

“My boy, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been too long.”

Despite the reason he’d made the appointment, Anakin couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “I’m sorry Representative Palpatine, you know how my work gets.”

His old friend chuckled. “So I do. I’m surprised you dragged yourself away from your beloved Jaegers long enough to visit an old man like me.”

Anakin’s smile faded. He didn’t enjoy feeling like he’d used his friendship to make a meeting with false pretenses. “I’m still technically here about work, Representative. I’m afraid this is all about my Jaegers.”

Thankfully, the Representative didn’t look upset. “Ah, I think I know what this is about. The Coastal Wall program, yes?”

Anakin caught himself before he rolled his eyes. His mother had tried to break him of the habit, but it was still something he did when he was frustrated. He nodded, grimacing. “I don’t understand why they’re decommissioning all the Jaegers. There’s nothing else that’s been as effective in killing Kaiju.”

“I heard about your, ah, ‘goldfish’ comment,” the Representative said with a wry smile, and Anakin groaned.

“I’m sorry, it was rude of me to say that. Marshal Windu keeps warning me about being civil, but it’s just so stupid—” Anakin cut himself off before he could further insult his mentor’s peers, but Palpatine only laughed.

“Please, don’t be. I completely agree with you. It was refreshingly candid.” Palpatine leaned forward in his chair, propping his elbows on his desk. “It’s outrageous that the members of the Council believe that a wall will protect us. I believe it’s an insult to all the Rangers who have lost their lives to defend us against those monsters.”

Anakin’s breath caught in his throat. “You do?”

“Of course. However,” and then the fragile hope that had been building in his chest popped like a balloon as the Representative shook his head. “The vote was a clear majority, and the budget has already been set. Any remaining Jaegers are going to be sent to Oblivion Bay as soon as they run out of funding.”

Tears burned in Anakin’s eyes and he tried to blink them away before the other man could see them.

Anakin stood to leave, but before he could open the door, he heard Palpatine call his name quietly. “If there was a way to prove how valuable the Jaeger programs was...of course I’d do everything in my power to make sure that evidence is presented to the Council.”

His eyes widened. “Thank you, Representative. I’ll try to keep you updated.”

The door slid open with a hiss, and Anakin left for the Shatterdome with new purpose.

**Author's Note:**

> blame the sunflare discord server. uhhhh i don't have an update schedule planned for this but it's mostly plotted out?
> 
> also! jango in the next chapter, i promise. mace just needed to vent a bit. and anakin needed to talk to a friend.


End file.
